Category archive: Marketing

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Apparently, the Chevy Tahoe really does have guts

The big marketing story of the day is how GM, coming off of an episode of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice where the contestants were asked to create ads for the Chevy Tahoe, launched a website where anybody could edit together video, audio and text into their very own Chevy Tahoe ad. This is a groovy marketing story in and of itself, but what happened next is even more interesting--as is the way what happened next was reported, i.e., innacurately referring to the campaign as a flop. Why? Because some of the 21,000 people who created ads used the format to say critical things about global warming, Iraq, and, well, the Chevy Tahoe. CNET announced shrilly today that:

"Viral marketing” is the current buzzword used by advertisers to describe the way a message can spread among Internet users. Much has been written about attempts by corporations to tap into this phenomenon, but the GM contest is an example of how such efforts can backfire.

A statement that directly contradicts another paragraph in the same article, by the same reporter:

The contest is a success as a marketing campaign, according to Melisa Tezanos, a GM spokeswoman. Consumers have submitted more than 21,000 ads and have e-mailed commercials over 40,000 times, she said. Chevyapprentice.com has generated 2.4 million page views, and the average visit to the site lasts more than 9 minutes. The company anticipated before launching the contest that it may see some negative ads, but Tezanos noted that more than 80 percent of the commercials depict the Tahoe in a favorable light.

2.4 million page views. Hmmm, yes, that is a disaster. As a journalist, I always cringe when web people call journalists dumb--but even if I weren’t a recovering journo, I’d feel humiliated just by having read this unfortunate muddle of an article. And CNET is supposed to be one of those news sources for and by people who know about ‘puters. Heh.

These must be the same people who think you can catch the bird flu by eating a McNugget.

TechDirt got the story right, of course. The right story is that GM gets it. Their being brave and hip enough to take their lumps indicates that they’ve actually shown up for the conversation. As for GM’s detractors, I’d venture to guess that 98% of them would never have considered buying anything but a used Volvo anyway. You’d never catch me in a Tahoe, probably because it reminds me too much of Marge’s fictional SUV on the The Simpsons ("Can you name the truck with four wheel drive, Smells like a steak, and seats thirty five? Canyonero! Canyonero!"). But I’m impressed enough that I’d definitely consider mashing up an ode to my fugly little gray Pontiac should GM decide to extend the invitation....

Hacking a Manifesto

A lot of people are wondering the extent to which online publishing is going to disrupt traditional publishing. Unfortunately, they tend to wonder aloud in fancy language and without much substance. Which is why it’s refreshing to listen to Robbie Allen, a technical book author and MIT student who has started a book publishing company, NetAware Media, that promises to re-tool the print publishing process to reflect the advances and advantages of what we’ve learned online. His blog, Publishing Hacks, contains a highly readable Internet Publishing Manifesto that includes the following “items”:

1. Content not limited by the pages of a book
2. Content when and how you want it
3. Text, audio, video–integrated
4. Apply advances in software development to content development
5. Continual development
6. Release incrementally
7. Update regularly; improve based on feedback
8. Leverage the community
9. Usability on par with books
10. Learning by doing
11. Improve the author experience

Now, I happen to have an abiding interest in New Media, so I find Robbie’s manifesto heartily rewarding and inspiring. But the primary value here is in the form, not the content--just reading this list, whatever business you’re in, you can see that he’s being both aggressively innovative and expansively thoughtful. This is why, even if your sole ambition in the world of business is to farm turnips for root vegetable ravioli, you should have a manifesto. Read Robbie’s to see exactly how it’s done (hint: a blog came in extremely handy). 

Friday, March 31, 2006

Blog blindfolds should have no place in business

Last night at a dinner for my day job as Head of Marketing for the UK’s largest search engine marketing company, some of the attendees (from the online dating sector) were discussing their companies’ fear surrounding blogging. They know they’ve got to get in on this somehow, but they’re not sure quite how, and they are very afraid of ‘giving up control’.

As I said last night, it is natural that these companies are afraid: By and large, they have little idea of what they are getting into. Plunging in without an understanding of this space is ill-advised at best. The good news is, if they do endeavour to gain that understanding, and figure out how to control what they can and let the rest bring them benefits, there is really nothing to be afraid of. I have yet to encounter a business that understood this space, moved into it, and lived to regret it. 

Thursday, March 30, 2006

The simplicity of free wifi for customers

My friend Michael Jennings is currently on holiday in China. From a café in Shanghai, he blogs:

It is pleasant, but for me there is one more possibly more important thing, which is there is WiFi. And the attitude to the WiFi is right. The internet access if free, and I was smiled at when I sat down, ordered a pot of tea, and got out my laptop. A couple of minutes later, a waiter came over to me and pointed out the electrical outlet on the wall, next to the table.

...The free WiFi and the electrical outlet that I was encouraged to use. I left my power adaptor in my hotel, as I was not expecting to find anything this good. The reason why I was not expecting this is that I find it so seldom in London. WiFi in cafes and coffee chains in London is far too often of the “This will cost £7 per hour” variety. A cafe can set up WiFi on this basis if it wants to, but I am simply not going to pay that. However, if you provide me with free WiFi (which will cost you hardly anything) I will buy more coffee and food, possibly more than £7 worth. And then a cafe might provide WiFi, but will not provide an electrical outlet, or (even worse) if it has one conveniently placed they will tell you that you are “stealing electricicy” if you try to use it, or they will put a cap over it to prevent you using it. This isn’t greed, but just stupidity. There is a lack of appreciation as to what customers want and value, and a lack of appreciation of the cost of providing it. (My laptop will run for about four days on 10 pence worth of electricity). And a lack of appreciation about how providing it will create warm and fuzzy feelings about your business.

And if a chain of teahouses in Shanghai can understand this, why can’t a chain of coffee houses in London? Just one. If you figure out what your customers want and give it to them, then you will get repeat business. It is that simple. If I lived in Shanghai (and who knows, someday I might) I would have lunch here all the time. And I will recommend it to my friends. As in fact I just have. Thousands of them.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Icône vs House of Bath

This is the first in an occasional series, Battle of the E-commerce Sites, where I will test two e-commerce websites in the same vertical.

After seeing it in their print catalogue, I waited the requisite 24 hours, and still I found myself thinking every hour, on the hour, about owning the large version of this pitcher from House of Bath. Fed up of wasting my brain space on such a matter, I shifted over to the House of Bath site to buy it.

What a nightmare. House of Bath wants to know your date of birth before you can register to buy. House of Bath also wants to know how long you’ve been at your current address. But only online; telephone ordering doesn’t pose any of these irritating questions. By the time I was finished, I almost resented the company for offering such a pretty item through such a horribly annoying website.

I was really in the mood for domestic purchases tonight. Once I’d found Icône (via Nigella), there was no hope left for me. Within moments, I’d bought this - talk about a sexpot. And, as everything in the Nigella range seemed to be on sale, I also bought this curvy creamer (in duck egg blue, of course).

The experience of shopping on Icône could not have been a bigger contrast with shopping at House of Bath. It was easy, took less than a minute from checkout to registration to completed purchase, and the specials-via-email update option was opt-in. I opted in.

House of Bath’s stuff is generally less appealing, with a few stand-out items (like my new jug, and the pink and baby blue enameled steel colanders they offer), while Icône is very design-centric and full of gorgeous things. All told, I know which one will get my custom again soon.